NEW HAVEN, Conn. — If the weekend's performance is any indication, the Yale University baseball team can expect big things from junior outfielder Josh Scharff in the 2012 season.

Scharff went 3-for-4 with four runs batted in in Sunday's championship game of the 2011 New Haven City Series to power Yale to a 7-3 victory over the University of New Haven. Scharff hit a pair of doubles in the game, the first drove in three runs in the third inning to erase a 2-0 deficit and give the Bulldogs a 3-2 lead. His second double of the game drove in the fourth run of the game to break a 3-3 tie and start a four-run rally in the eighth inning that put Yale on top for good, securing the second straight City Series crown for the Bulldogs.

Scharff went 4-for-8 in the series with a home run, five runs batted in and two runs scored, earning the Series MVP award.

In the consolation game, Southern Connecticut State University scored a run in the 12th inning to pull out a 2-1 win over Quinnipiac.

The Chargers scored a run in the second on a solo home run by David Wirkus and another in the third on Jack Heary's RBI single to open the game with a 2-0 lead.

Junior center fielder Cam Squires led off the bottom of the third with a double. Freshman Joe Lubanski reached on an error. After junior third baseman Chris Piwinski was hit by a pitch to load the bases with one out, Scharff followed with his first double of the game to put Yale on top 3-2.

Chris DeMorais scored a run for New Haven on a double-play groundout in the top of the fourth to tie the score, and that's where the score remained until Scharff started the fireworks in the eighth inning.

Yale scored all four runs in the eighth-inning rally with two outs. Scharff's RBI double started the rally, sophomore shortstop Cale Hanson followed with a two-run single and sophomore first baseman Kevin Fortunato scored on an error to cap the rally, giving the Bulldogs a 7-3 lead that they did not relinquish.

Fortunato switched from first base to the mound in the ninth to close out the victory. Freshman Ben Joseph earned the victory in relief. He tossed two shutout innings with three strikeouts.

Freshman second baseman David Toups and Hanson each had two hits for the Bulldogs. Piwinski scored two runs, while Scharff, Fortunato, Squires and Lubanski eached scored a run to power the Bulldogs' offense.

An encouraging sign from the weekend came from class of freshmen that received the first official experience of their collegiate careers. Five of the seven members of the Class of 2015 contributed to the two victories, including a pair of impressive performances from pitchers Eric Hsieh and Joseph. The two rookies combined to throw seven shutout innings with five strikeouts.

All signs from the weekend point to a strong 2012 season from the Bulldogs.